Britain\u2019s exports of plastic waste to developing countries have soared by 84% in the first half of this year compared with last year, according to an analysis of trade data carried out for the Guardian.<\/p>\n
Campaigners described the rise in exports, mostly to Malaysia and Indonesia<\/a>, as \u201cunethical and irresponsible waste imperialism\u201d.<\/p>\n In 2023, the EU agreed to ban exports of waste to poorer nations<\/a> outside a group of mainly rich countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The ban comes into force in November 2026 for two and a half years and can be extended. The UK does not have a similar ban in place.<\/p>\n Data analysed by the The Last Beach Cleanup, a US group campaigning to halt plastic pollution, showed that the increase in UK exports in the first half of 2025 was mainly to Indonesia (24,006 tonnes in 2025, up from 525 tonnes in 2024) and Malaysia<\/a> (28,667 tonnes, up from 18,872 tonnes in 2024).<\/p>\n Total plastic waste exports remained relatively high in the first half of 2024 and 2025, at 319,407 and 317,647 tonnes respectively. The percentage of UK plastic waste going directly to non-OECD countries was 20% of total plastic waste exports in 2025, up from 11% in 2024.<\/p>\n The Last Beach Cleanup analysed data from the UN Comtrade database to reach its findings. Jan Dell, who works for the group, accused UK ministers of \u201chypocrisy\u201d by failing to ban exports to poorer nations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe UK is hypocritically saying, \u2018we\u2019re part of the high ambition coalition\u2019, at the plastics talks. But behind the scenes, it is refusing to set a date to stop exporting to poorer countries,\u201d she said. \u201cWe see it is increasing exports of its own plastic waste to places like Malaysia and Indonesia.\u201d<\/p>\n She added: \u201cIt is unethical and irresponsible waste imperialism.\u201d<\/p>\n After the collapse of the UN plastic treaty talks<\/a> in August, Emma Hardy, under-secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), <\/a>said she was \u201chugely disappointed\u201d an agreement had not been reached but was proud of the UK\u2019s work towards an ambitious treaty.<\/p>\n Britain was part of a \u201chigh ambition\u201d coalition of nations calling for the treaty to include binding obligations on reducing plastic production and consumption, she said.<\/p>\n Campaigners are calling for the UK, one of the top three countries exporting plastic waste,<\/a> at about 600,000 tonnes a year, to follow the EU and ban exports to non-OECD countries. They also want to close a loophole that makes it cheaper to export plastic waste rather than recycle it in the UK.<\/p>\n Plastic products, such as these found in Klang, Selangor in June, are often fly-tipped from factories processing imported plastic waste in Malaysia. Photograph: Basel Action Network<\/p>\n